The Campaign

THE CHALLENGE:
To get Australians to sit up and take notice of Samsung's game-changing TV technology, by leveraging the brand's sponsorship of the Australian national rugby team.
We asked ourselves: could we achieve this goal by creating an experience that would captivate Australia's most passionate TV audience – sports fans?
THE IDEA
Samsung SlideLiner – a four-person couch that moved up and down the sideline at international rugby matches featuring the Australian national team.
By keeping up with the rugby action, it not only gave occupants the best possible view of the gameplay, it also remained in the view of TV cameras and audiences around the world.
PR STRATEGY:
We knew that SlideLiner would already earn its way into broadcast media - by literally slidling into shot during televised coverage of rugby matches.
The opportunity here was to get audiences excited about it before, during and after these telecasts. So, realising the impact that SlideLiner would have in a reader's newsfeed, we worked closely with the Social Media editors of publications from around the world.
Together, we crafted a story that broke first in social, before directing local and global audiences to web, broadcast and print channels.
RESULTS:
• AUD $101 million in earned media generated
• 34 million people reached in 105 countries
• 3845% return on investment for the campaign
• 30% the entire year’s Curved UHD TV sales took place during the six-week campaign period
• Maintained Samsung's position as Australia's most preferred TV brand

The Brief

With the introduction of its revolutionary Curved UHD TVs, Samsung needed to get Australians to sit up and take notice of Samsung's immersive TV technology. To do this, we decided to target Australia's most passionate television audience – sporting fans –and get them excited by Samsung's story of innovation.
We would do this by making innovative use of Samsung's sponsorship of the Australian rugby team, breaking all the rules in the sponsorship book to create an experience that would blow fans away - from their seats in the ground and from their sofas at home.

Results

Our aim was to get Australian's to sit up and take notice of Samsung's game-changing technology, particularly in the TV category. SlideLiner delivered – not only through the awareness it generated, but through a demonstrable business impact.
OUTPUT/AWARENESS:
• An estimated reach of over 34 million in 105 countries
• A total earned media AVE of $101m globally, including in-broadcast syndications
• Over 140 individual pieces of coverage globally
• International headlines in major media outlets including BBC, Guardian, ESPN, Sports Illustrated and Eurosport.
• Domestic coverage across every major masthead
• A rugby-focused story that reached non-rugby playing countries
BUSINESS IMPACT:
• Sales – 30% of the year’s Curved UHDTV sales were generated during the six-week promotional period
• Brand preference - despite heavy competitive activity, Samsung maintained its position as Australia's number one most preferred television brand
• ROI - a total campaign return of investment of 3,845%

Execution

Prior to SlideLiner's launch, we offered an exclusive to social media, print and online journalists at News Corp – Australia's biggest network of news properties. We invited them to be the first to see the SlideLiner at the filming of a campaign TVC.
This story was held for two weeks while a promotional campaign was prepared. Then, we worked with social media editors to launch SlideLiner to the social followers of News Corp's properties. Followers were then directed to online, broadcast and print properties to discover more.
As social momentum picked up, we secured international coverage across major global outlets including the BBC, Guardian, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Eurosport and others.
The story then went beyond sports media, to encompass technology, general interest, and marketing media. Samsung branding was front-and-centre throughout, both visually and within copy, with details on the technology and innovation consistently being covered.

The Situation

Emotional investment from consumers in the TV category is at an all-time low. They've seen and heard it all.
They're more interested in the things they're watching on the TV – such as live sports – than the technology in the TV itself.
Furthermore, for consumers there are more exciting screens than TVs – such as mobiles and tablets.To re-engage consumers with its innovative TV products – such as its new Curved Screen UHD Televisions - Samsung needed to heighten the experience that only TVs could deliver.

The Strategy

Curved UHD's bring audiences closer to the entertianment they love. To tell this story, we literally took our audience closer to their entertainment. We created the SlideLiner - a four-person couch that slides up and down the sideline at rugby matches featuring Australia's national rugby team, the Wallabies.
By keeping up with the gameplay, it gave occupants the best possible view of the rugby action, while remaining firmly in view of TV cameras and audiences around the world.
We knew that SlideLiner would already earn its way into broadcast media - by literally slidling into shot during televised coverage of rugby matches.
And, given the novel appeal of SlideLiner, we also saw the opportunity to take the story beyond Australian sports fans. Our aim was to also reach global sports fans, technology audiences, and consumers in the market for a TV.

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